The Commission for a Socially Sustainable Malmö, or the “Malmö Commission", works independently and consists of fourteen commissionaires, each with specific areas of expertise within the domains of social sciences, health economy, urban studies and the city of Malmö.
The decision to launch a commission was made in May 2010 by the local council of Malmö followed by the appointment of Professor Emeritus, Sven-Olof Isacsson to chair the commission in November the same year.
The commission came about in light of the present differences in health observed among different population groups and different areas in Malmö. The quality of health, mortality rates and the ability to self assess ones health varied across the city, essentially creating a situation that was considered both unethical and unjust and contradicting of the city´s strategic goals for a socially sustainable Malmö.
Propose strategies for reducing health inequalities
The main task of the commission is to assemble evidence and based on those propose strategies for reducing health inequalities and improve the long term living conditions for the citizens of Malmö.
It is a well known fact that people in some parts of Malmö live nearly seven years longer than in other parts of the city. Known causes behind this discrepancy in life expectancy and health are that many people lack the fundamental conditions for good health, such as work, education, acceptable housing conditions and economic and social resources.
The commission´s task is to propose evidence-based strategies for reducing health inequalities and improve living conditions for all citizens of Malmö, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society.
This assignment means taking on a complex set of challenges to the city of Malmö that demands long term strategic decisions and actions. The entire life span is to be taken into consideration.
WHO central source of inspiration
The Malmö Commission draws on the findings of the WHO report Closing the Gap in a Generation by the Marmot Commission, a leading authority in the study of public health, which, according to the Swedish National Institute of Public Health, constitutes one of the most important contributions to the public health debate during the last decades.
The message from the report is clear: social injustice is literary a question of life and death. It is possible to do something about it, but it requires a shift in the way authorities operates and the transition is likely to take time, at least a generation.
Three priorities
The Malmö Commission will focus on three areas of society
- Conditions of growing up for children and young people
- Democracy and influence in society
- Social and economic conditions
Short on what the Malmö Commission will do
- Draw from the challenges Malmö faces regarding social differences, identify what is possible to address, by whom and how
- Propose goals and strategies
- Carry out analyses on health economics, calculate costs and weigh costs against the benefits of implementing the strategies
- Identify areas of improvement in the policies and procedures of the local authority, such as routines for cooperation and management/government.
- Measure the health distribution in Malmö
- Calculate the costs of inequalities in health
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The City of Malmö´s work for sustainable development
The city´s work needs to be directed at creating a sustainable city from all aspects. Environmental, economical and social sustainability needs to be integrated so they can mutually strengthen each other, which requires an increased focus on social sustainability, where the commission together with Area programmes for a socially sustainable Malmö should make way for new perspectives, a new way of thinking and new methods for social sustainability.
A social process of change is complex and there are many challenges in Malmö. An extensive structural project such as the City Tunnel or the new harbour takes solid pre-planning. The commission´s work can be placed on an equal footing with pre-planning for a social process of change.
